Buyer "in the UK" turns out to be in Jersey

Strapped

Grrr. Sold a 2.5kg item today, listed with UK standard parcels as delivery option. Someone "registered in the UK" bought and paid for it, no problems thinks I, but then when I went to parcel it up I realised they were in Jersey. Their address is listed as "Jersey, UK". Since when has Jersey been in the UK?! (It's a Crown dependancy I know but not part of the UK). Is this an eBay thing, or the buyer trying it on?

Royal Mail standard parcels don't serve Jersey anyway, so I've had to send a revised invoice for 1st Class and I suspect buyer won't be happy?

cyberbob

Its an ebay thing. Most people in the channel islands are aware of the fact that some items they will have to pay more. Most small items the postage is the same but as you have discovered larger items are a bit more pricey. The dealings I have had with customers from the channel islands have been very straighforward and no problem with any extra postage costs

Just communicate with the buyer. I wouldn't just reinvoice them I would email and explain why you can't post the method in your listing. If you just invoice they may thing your trying to pull a fast one

Strapped

Yes, I have messaged them but they may have pushed off for the weekend, thinking everything was OK. How annoying, haven't come across it before.

prowla

List your postage as mainland UK, and add a note that other locations may cost more.

Strapped

The CI are not part of the UK! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

* where's that bang-head smilie? *

RFW

It's something that crops up quite a lot, it is one of the very few things I add to the listing that Channel Islands postage is higher (all our goods are sent by courier). There are some Channel Islanders that have 'Channel Islands' as their country and some who don't. The only way around it is to contact the buyer, the odd one gets uppity and lectures about how the Channel Islands are part of the UK (they are for some things and aren't for others, as you say they are a crown dependency).

In my experience most of the buyers do just try it on to get the post cheaper but seem to realise their 'error' when you tell them.

cyberbob

prowla wrote: »

List your postage as mainland UK, and add a note that other locations may cost more.

That will just get the back up of those people who live in the scottish Islands, NI and the isle of wight whose postage is the same (RM and parcelforce) as mainland uk. As someone who lives in one of those places I see that in a listing and I immediatly assume the seller is trying it on(if using RM)

RFW

cyberbob wrote: »

That will just get the back up of those people who live in the scottish Islands, NI and the isle of wight whose postage is the same (RM and parcelforce) as mainland uk. As someone who lives in one of those places I see that in a listing and I immediatly assume the seller is trying it on(if using RM)

Just to confuse things, a lot of those places you mention do get surcharged by Parcelforce if you are on contract.

TurkishDelight

Paypal postage also has trouble with it. We've blocked them for that reason, but that doesn't come into effect if they are registered wrong. :mad:

cyberbob

RFW wrote: »

Just to confuse things, a lot of those places you mention do get surcharged by Parcelforce if you are on contract.

But the bigger companies do not normally charge the customer that surcharge (at least the good ones). the smaller business are not on contract so it shouldn't cost more. If they do we vote with our feet as there are plenty of companies who don't charge you extra

RFW

cyberbob wrote: »

But the bigger companies do not normally charge the customer that surcharge (at least the good ones). the smaller business are not on contract so it shouldn't cost more. If they do we vote with our feet as there are plenty of companies who don't charge you extra

I'm a small business, we're on contract and get surcharged by Parcelforce. We don't pass it on, but its usually a hefty bit higher, around a third in fact. The cheapest rate for N. Ireland is usually by Paypal strangely. I'm sure postcode sort will be coming in in the next year on Ebay in the UK, then a lot of the highlands and Islands will be paying higher rates if they want courier items.